Chapter 52 - Whisper

Ye Fan walked to the parking lot, got into his used Citroën, and was about to start the car when he suddenly remembered something.

So, he paused, took out his mobile phone, and deleted Tantai Wanrong’s phone number.

After leaving Hua Hai City First People’s Hospital, Ye Fan didn’t head straight home.

Instead, he drove around aimlessly to clear his mind.

Unintentionally, he drove into a relatively narrow street where he felt a little hungry.

Just by the roadside, there was a small noodle stall.

So, he parked his car and went down to have some noodles.

The stall wasn’t very large; excluding the kitchen area, there were only six tables available for dining.

Moreover, these were not the usual round or octagonal tables but small rectangular ones, each accommodating only four people.

However, despite its small size, the stall was kept neat and clean.

“Big brother, what kind of noodles would you like?” As soon as Ye Fan entered, a young girl about seventeen or eighteen came forward to ask.

The girl was dressed simply and was about 1.6 meters tall.

She had a fresh, clear face with delicate features and sported a long, shiny black braid.

Dangling from her white, attractive earlobes were a pair of yellow-green porcelain earrings.

She had a pure and honest smile on her face.

Ye Fan couldn’t help but smile and asked, “What noodles do you have here?”

“We have beef noodles, brisket noodles, fresh fish meat noodles, pork noodles, pig’s trotter noodles…” The girl was quick-witted and familiar with the store’s offerings, rattling off nearly ten types of noodles to Ye Fan as if she were reciting a rapid rhyme.

Ye Fan laughed and said, “All right, give me a serving of beef noodles and a serving of fresh fish meat noodles.”

“Okay.” The girl responded, “Big brother, which one do you want to take away?”

Ye Fan laughed and said, “I’ll eat both here.

My appetite is big; one serving won’t fill me up.”

However, the girl suggested, “Big brother, if you’re worried that one serving might not be enough because of your big appetite, you can add an extra two or three liangs of plain noodles instead of ordering two servings.

It’ll save money.”

Ye Fan couldn’t help but laugh, “Hehe, you’re quite thoughtful.

But by suggesting this, aren’t you afraid your boss will earn less and fire you?”

“Hehe, I’m not afraid.

This stall is owned by my family.

How could my dad ever send me away?” The girl said with a crisp laugh.

Ye Fan laughed heartily and said, “Even so, I still want two servings.

One flavor won’t suit me.

Money is no issue, go ahead.”

“Okay.” The girl responded and then turned to enter the kitchen.

Ye Fan casually chose a table to sit at.

He was not the only one eating in the stall; there were three or four other people.

After sitting down, Ye Fan couldn’t help but think of the misunderstanding with Tantai Wanrong, and his mood became gloomy and stifled again.

If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have cared about the misunderstanding.

But for Tantai Wanrong, he had some feelings for her, even some plans, so being misunderstood by her made him quite uncomfortable.

After a few minutes, the store owner’s daughter and the store owner each brought over a steaming bowl of noodles to Ye Fan’s table.

“Young man, please enjoy,” the store owner said to the distracted Ye Fan.

Ye Fan snapped back to reality and glanced at the store owner.

The man was nearly fifty years old, about 1.7 meters tall, and rather thin, possibly from long hours over the stove, which had left his skin somewhat ruddy.

With just a glance, Ye Fan nodded at the store owner and said, “Thank you.”

Expecting the store owner to immediately leave, Ye Fan instead heard him say, “Young man, you seem unhappy.”

“Hehe, it’s nothing.

Thanks for the concern,” Ye Fan replied with a faint smile.

The store owner smiled and said, “Young people should not have anything to be unhappy about.

Youth is full of limitless possibilities.

As the saying goes, ‘don’t underestimate the young for being poor.’ As long as you strive bravely, you can overcome any obstacle.”

“Hehe, the boss makes sense,” Ye Fan chuckled.

The store owner smiled back but said no more, turning around to head back to the kitchen.

However, his daughter took a seat across from Ye Fan.

At that moment, there were no customers coming in or leaving after finishing their meal, so the store owner’s daughter was free.

“Hehe, big brother, can you really eat two portions of noodles by yourself?” the store owner’s daughter asked with a playful laugh.

“Of course I can,” Ye Fan replied with a light smile while eating his noodles.

“What’s your name?

It’s a waste for you to be here helping your dad sell noodles.”

“Hehe, my name is Li Zhaojun,” the store owner’s daughter replied vivaciously.

Ye Fan suddenly forgot about his noodles, a piece hanging from his mouth as he looked up at the store owner’s daughter in mild surprise.

Realizing he was still holding noodles in his mouth, he quickly bit them off and swallowed.

“Your name is Li Zhaojun?” Ye Fan asked, feeling a strange sensation.

What would it be like if his wife, Li Zhaojun, were replaced with this Li Zhaojun?

“Yeah.” Li Zhaojun smiled, “My dad named me after the ancient beauty Wang Zhaojun.

Too bad I’m not a beauty and let him down.”

Ye Fan laughed, “No way, you are beautiful.

When you grow up, you’ll definitely be a great beauty.

You have to have confidence in yourself.”

“Okay,” Li Zhaojun replied, and then giggled again.

Ye Fan asked, “Are you not in school?”

“Hehe, it’s summer vacation now,” Li Zhaojun responded with a cheerful laugh.

“I’ve just finished my first year of university.”

“Oh, I see,” Ye Fan laughed.

“I forgot it’s the summer break.”

At that moment, two customers finished their meals and asked for the bill.

Li Zhaojun quickly told Ye Fan, “Can’t chat now, gotta work.”

“Okay,” Ye Fan nodded.

Li Zhaojun walked away, and Ye Fan focused on eating his noodles.

Li Zhaojun, busy with making change and clearing tables while new customers came in, didn’t get another chance to talk with Ye Fan.

Ye Fan finished his first bowl of fresh fish noodles, and as he started on his second bowl of beef noodles, he suddenly noticed a slight dimming at the entrance.

He looked up to see five or six men with a delinquent look standing at the doorway.

“Bang!

Bang!

Bang!”

The open wooden door made a loud thunderous noise.

The other customers in the store screamed in shock, and Li Zhaojun also screamed in surprise.

The blonde hooligan who had slammed the door shouted arrogantly, “Guys, we’re here on business.

Anyone who doesn’t want to die, scram!”

The other five customers in the store, pale with fright, stood up and ran out without even paying.

Seeing the customers fleeing in terror, the six hooligans laughed triumphantly.

However, Ye Fan remained seated, calmly continuing to eat his noodles.

“Brother Fei, there’s still a kid here who isn’t scramming!” one of the hooligans, with a blue snake tattooed on his arm, pointed at Ye Fan and shouted.

The leader of the hooligans glanced at Ye Fan, noticed his tall and robust physique which seemed troublesome to provoke, and said, “Let’s leave him be; we’re here for Old Li!”

“Right, right, we’re here for Old Li.

We’ll ignore the others,” the other three hooligans quickly agreed.

It appeared they were also wary of Ye Fan, who looked strong and capable, preferring not to stir trouble despite their numerical advantage.

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